DIRECT LINE

Ens. Timothy Martin, NASSIG Federal Voting Assistance Program Officer

READY, SET…. REGISTER TO VOTE!

A new year has arrived and like most Americans, your family has probably just changed out the 2019 calendar for a new one for 2020. The best part of the even numbered years in the United States is of course...YOUR CHANCE TO VOTE!!

The 2020 elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3rd. All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, 35 seats in the United States Senate as well as the Office of the President will be contested. Make your vote count! Voting is a personal choice, but if you want to vote, voting assistance is available to help provide you with the tools and resources you need to successfully vote via an absentee ballot.

If you plan on voting in any elections within the U.S.A. this year you must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). This yearly registration requirement is for all personnel who reside overseas even if you have registered to vote absentee previously. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) encourages Military Service Members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens to submit a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every January to ensure they can participate in upcoming Federal elections. The FPCA registers you to vote and acts as a request for your state absentee ballot for the year.

Completing a new FPCA is easy! Just visit www.fvap.gov, select your state from the drop down menu on the home page, at the bottom of the page click Register to Vote, Request a Ballot or Update my Voter Info. The FVAP online tool will walk you through the form and provide you with a PDF packet to “print, sign and send” directly to your Local Election Official (LEO); links are also provided for states that offer online voter registration.

Remember, the only way your LOE knows how to reach you is with the information you provide. Some states allow a longer time between registrations, but if you submit a new FPCA every year, you won’t have to worry about your registration or ballot request status and can participate in all the elections you are eligible for.

For more information on FVAP or assistance with the absentee voting process, visit FVAP.gov call FVAP at 1-800-438-VOTE or DSN 425- 1584 (CONUS)/312-425-1584 (OCONUS), or email vote@fvap.gov.

Remember, you also can contact your unit or installation voting assistance officer for assistance by phone at DSN-624-2532 or email us at M-SINASSIG-VotingOfficers-GS@ eu.navy.mil.

Your right to vote is as important now as it was for the first Presidential election in 1789. Petty Officer Clark and Ens. Timothy Martin are here to assist you in any way we can to ensure your vote is counted.

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Twitter: @FVAP.